Magnesium coffees, ashwagandha hot chocolates and mushroom chai lattes are everywhere right now. The functional beverage industry is worth an estimated £177 billion ($413 billion) and is forecast to hit £254 billion by 2030 — but are those £10-£40 'sleep' drinks worth packing for your next trip, or is a glass of warm milk just as good?
Sleep specialists are sceptical about the marketing. Dr Lindsay Browning, a psychologist and neuroscientist and author of Navigating Sleeplessness, says there simply isn't the evidence to claim these drinks fix sleep, and points to cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTI) as the rigorous treatment. Dr Kat Lederle, a sleep and circadian rhythm specialist, adds that for someone with normal magnesium levels, such a drink likely produces little more than a placebo effect. Still, both agree the ritual matters: choosing a drink you genuinely look forward to, and making it part of a wind-down routine that signals to your brain that bed is coming.
That said, some ingredients have more going for them than others. Chamomile has 2,000 years of history as a sleep aid, and a 2024 study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found it reduced night-time awakenings, though not sleep duration. Nutritionist Sophie Trotman credits its antioxidant apigenin, which can lower anxiety and cortisol. Valerian root may shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, and magnesium — UK supermarket Waitrose reported a 44% jump in supplement sales in 2023 — binds to receptors in the brain to promote relaxation, though it works best in people who are actually deficient.
The humble classics hold up surprisingly well. A Columbia University review linked higher dairy intake with better sleep quality, and cow's milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid the body uses to make serotonin, which feeds melatonin production. Browning calls a glass of warm milk 'ideal': it raises core body temperature (which helps sleep onset), its protein keeps you full through the night, and it stops hunger-related wake-ups. Malted drinks like Horlicks add calcium, magnesium and B vitamins — but watch the sugar, especially in hot chocolate. And plain water? Always a safe bet for hydration and temperature regulation, just not too much too late.
One practical rule applies everywhere: have your drink at least two hours before bed, so it doesn't disrupt sleep with a midnight bathroom trip.
For travellers, this is genuinely useful. Hotel rooms, long flights and jet lag are notorious sleep-wreckers, and a familiar chamomile tea or warm milk ritual can anchor your body clock in a strange time zone. Lederle even notes that warm milk can evoke comforting childhood associations. The takeaway: bring the routine, not the pricey supplements. If you love the taste of a sleepy tea, enjoy it — just don't expect it to work like a sleeping pill.